Speaking of IARU Kvetching...

[W3WN]

Ok, so most contest rules state somewhere, in effect, that you copy the exchange that was sent, right? The exchange might be a signal report and a serial number (numerous), a county and a SN (Pa QSO), a signal report and a location code -- Grid zone, CQ Zone, ITU Zone.

So AB7E, who likes being a pain in the tuchus on the CQ Contest reflector, pops up and mentions that he doesn't believe that this weekend's contest is using the precise ITU zone boundaries; and IIRC, they're not, as some of the official ITU lines don't follow state, province, or country lines precisely. IIRC, the ITU "zones" used in the contest are slightly modified to take those into account. So far, so good.

But Dave raises the stakes.

Yes, we all should copy what is sent, but when someone doesn't send what they are supposed to it creates needless confusion. In my opinion, you needlessly bring that lost QSO rate upon yourself.

Now, how do you know when, or whether, someone isn't sending what they are "supposed" to?

IMHO, there may be a reason why someone sends an exchange that the logging software doesn't expect. Simplest explanation is that they're operating portable and across the boundary line, for one; or the logging software database is (*gasp* the horrors!) incorrect due to a data entry error or omission.

IMHO, you copy what was sent, and if you have a question about it, mention it later. Don't take a half hour out of the contest debating with someone whether they're in Mooselyvania or not if they say that they're in Pottsylvania, for example.

But no, on the eve of the contest, let's stir the pot a little.

Where's the popcorn?

[N8YX]

If I was going to be on the air this weekend I would do what was done during Field Day:

That is, plop right down in the middle of some good contest real estate and ragchew with 'testers one by one as they're worked.

Their idea, not mine.

I asked each station a short bit about their locale and most seemed happy to chew the fat for a while. Really unnerved the folks who needed my multiplier! :rofl:

[W3WN]

As it turned out, I had some last minute family issues to take care of, so I only had a few hours to operate the IARU.

Dissapointed in the lack of time? Sure, but so it goes. Anyway, I made the most of it and had some fun operating.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... or in this case, the CQ Contest Reflector... the accusations have started that one or two of the WRTC teams had "cheerleaders" who figured out who was behind the mike/key, and promoted the guys from their own country accordingly. The person making the primary accusation can't do simple math, and is looking like a total schmuck. Meanwhile, someone has now semi-seriously proposed that next time around, they have the competitors pre-record their Voice .wav files, and distribute the files randomly -- so that, for example, the WRTC K33K team would have their voices on, say K55K's station, but they might be using K77K's... etc.

These characters are taking this WAY too seriously, and their actions are ruining Contesting for the rest of us as they attempt to transmogrivy it into Radio Sport. Yet all of their attempts backfire... but that's another story...